The President’s Coming to Town

Tomorrow, President Obama will speak about green jobs at GE Energy in Schenectady and I’ll have the honor of being there. It’s great that 350 jobs are going to be created and it’s my hope this will encourage GE to create a product that will bring 10,000 more jobs right to Schenectady and the Capital Region. Many of the turbine engines that were built here decades ago are still powering the world. At one time, 40,000 people were employed at GE in Schenectady and my dad was one of them. My father worked in the GE Foundry for 40 years in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable and he helped make the company the powerhouse it is today.

I’ve talked about green jobs for several years. Since 2006, I’ve sponsored legislation A.1509, the Alternative Fuels Incentive Fund, to help kick our nation’s addiction to fossil fuels and create the kinds of green jobs the President is going to talk about in his visit. Schenectady is where modern technology was born. We have all the ingredients here in the Capital Region with a talented and skilled workforce to lead the way again in technology. All government needs to do now is get out of the way and cut the taxes and spending that will foster an environment for private sector job growth.

I’m wondering: if you were able to talk with President Obama, what would you ask him?

Jim Tedisco -- Member New York State Assembly

6 Responses

Why is it so important to repeal DADT and NOT repair our economy?
Why can a National Guard soldier returning from his THIRD combat tour and facing a FOURTH never find a decent job to support his family?
Why is there so much red tape to get the GI Bill?
Why does the GI Bill not cover trade schools?

Jim – you are right on the money. I truly think that this highlight of Jobs in our region are very important, especially because you and the rest of the State Government are going to have to make some hard decisions. These decisions unfortunately must result in some of our neighbors losing their public jobs with the State. It must be done and now is the time.

In the Region Schenectady county had the highest unemployment and these jobs will help. Albany and Saratoga county have lower than national and state unemployment and with GE, Int’l Sematech and Global Foundries bringing well paying private sector jobs to the region now is the time to cut the size of the State workforce. These high paying jobs will create service and goods based jobs for those getting these high tech / high paying jobs to go to.

Will the new jobs have the same pay or benefits they get now – NO. And they should not. Pensions don’t exist out of government workers. 401K no defined payout and paying some of your health care is what these displaced and remaining workers must get used to if we are going to turn our state around.

Cut government, Cut regulation and grow the economy for everyone.

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